The Email
by AlwaysWatchingCastle
Summary: After Castle receives an email from a fan, he fears his relationship with Beckett could be in jeopardy.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** FINALLY back to writing after a long hiatus. Feels good to be back! Came up with this story today and wanted to share. I planned on having it all done in one chapter but I decided to extend it. As always, I would love to hear your feedback/reviews and I hope I do not disappoint. Thank you!

* * *

Richard Castle just received the worst email of his entire life.

Should he tell Beckett? No, he can't tell Beckett.

"I'll make things right." He preaches to himself.

Castle is sitting at his desk in the loft. It was suppose to be a writing day but with his short attention span, plans tend to change. He ended up playing video games before switching to organize his fan-mail inbox. That's when he saw it.

He reads through the message one more time but only manages to get halfway through before getting offended all over again and quickly shutting his laptop with force.

"You're wrong NikkiHeatFan19 . And you better believe I'm going to prove it."

Castle smirks.

Suddenly, Castle's cell phone rings. He checks the caller I.D and is delighted to see Beckett's picture smiling back at him. He answers.

"Captain Beckett! To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?"

"If that's your idea of a greeting, why don't you try the one you gave me in bed this morning?"

He may not be able to see her biting her lip at the other end of the line but he sure is imagining it.

"Why Beckett I would love to, only problem is I'm not physically with you."

"But you could be."

"Touché"

"We just got a case. Care to join?"

"I'll be right over."

"I'll text you the location. See you soon babe."

Castle gets ready and heads out the door.

Beckett, Ryan, Esposito, and Lanie are gathered around the murder victim when Castle shows up.

Castle is nervous as he walks towards Beckett. Will she notice? Have their friends secretly been judging them too? Endless questions run through his mind the closer he gets. For a moment, he considers turning around and going back home but by then it was too late.

"Be cool." He thought to himself. "This is your wife. The yin to your yang. Your always."

Esposito acknowledges him first.

"What's up with that goofy look on your face bro?"

"Huh?"

Lanie chimes in.

"Yeah what's wrong Castle? Something's changed."

So Lanie agrees with NikkiHeatFan ?! Castle couldn't believe it.

"What? Me? No. Nothing's changed."

Finally Beckett manages to save him.

"Quit picking on him guys, today was a big writing day. He's probably just tired. Now can we get back to the case?"

Esposito rolls his eyes. The team finishes up at the crime scene and agrees to meet up back at the precinct. Lanie heads back to the morgue and will call with the results of the autopsy. Beckett rides with Castle in his car while Esposito and Ryan ride in their squad car.

As soon as Castle closes the door to the passenger's seat, Beckett is on him. She gives him such a kiss it would make even Rudolph Valentino blush.

"Wow" is all he manages to muster.


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry I took so long with chapter 2! The big reveal is coming up soon. As always, I would love to hear your feedback/reviews and I hope I do not disappoint. Thank you!

* * *

Beckett giggles.

"I missed you."

" I…I…Uh"

"You gonna be ok Castle?"

He's honestly not sure. After the day he's had, he can barely think straight. He hides his distress by flashing one of his classic, ruggedly handsome smiles and kisses her again. She's buys it, for now.

They drive to the precinct holding hands the entire time.

"So take that NikkiHeatFan19." Castle thinks to himself. "We're good!"

But deep down he knows there's more to prove. They need to be working together. Theorizing.

Things don't end up going as planned. The circumstances surrounding the case had been weirder than usual. For starters, Esposito and Ryan could barely find any information on the victim. They were forced to classify her as a Jane Doe.

Beckett begged for a wild theory from Castle but he was stumped. Was he losing his touch? Beckett seemed disappointed. Oh boy. Endless thoughts were running through his head again.

He managed to throw a story together but even he didn't believe it. Beckett rolled her eyes. The boys chuckled. It was a complete failure.

They all pace the bullpen a few times before Lanie calls. She found a tattoo of someone's name on the victim's shoulder. Beckett got excited and started coming up with a few theories of her own. This was Castle's big chance. He had to join in.

Lanie adds some info about the tattoo.

"There are three, horizontal lines scratched into her skin, directly under the tattoo."

"Could be the name of our killer" Ryan chimes in.

"No, that's too easy. They're being framed, either by our Jane Doe or the real killer," Beckett adds.

"I agree. What kind of killer is named Claude Clauderson anyway?" Esposito questions.

"Lanie were there any more tattoos on the victim's body?" Beckett questions.

"Yeah, a compass on her left shoulder and a tree on her right calf."

"What if…" Beckett began.

"What if…" Castle whispered.

"Her body is a map. If we figure out what each tattoo means, we might be able to find her killer!" Beckett adds

"Her body… map…. each tattoo…we might be able to find her killer!" Castle mumbles.

"Did you just try to copy what Beckett said?" Esposito asks.

Great. Busted. Thanks Espo.

Beckett gives them both a puzzled look but turns and continues talking to Ryan. She suggests they all break for the day and get a fresh start tomorrow. Everyone agrees.

Castle waits for Beckett at the elevator while she collects her things from her desk. He tries to look casual but ends up fidgeting the entire time. Ryan and Esposito pass him on the way to the elevator.

"Better get some rest Castle." They say in unison.

"I will. See you tomorrow"

Now they're in sync? Could this day possibly get any worse?

Beckett finally walks over. Castle rapidly hits the elevator button and smiles at her as they wait for the doors to open.

The car ride is quiet. Beckett mentions something about her morning but Castle only nods his head in response.

Once they enter the loft, Castle kicks off his shoes and heads towards the bedroom.

"I'm going to lie down for a bit."

"Are you sure? I thought we could polish off the rest of the wine we opened last night. The one that makes me feel all…"

"Uh. Sure. Maybe later?"

Castle disappears into the bedroom. Beckett pours herself a glass of wine and takes a few sips before making her way towards the bedroom.

She finds Castle lying on his back with his eyes closed. She carefully slides onto her side and lays her head on his shoulder. She looks up at him as he sighs and pulls her closer to him.

"What's the matter Rick?"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** LONG overdue. I took some creative control with one of Beckett's lines. See if you can spot it ;)

* * *

"Promise you won't get upset," he mutters, followed by an audible swallow.

Beckett springs up and moves until she's practically on top of him.

He looks right in her eyes. "Oh God," he thinks to himself.

She's scared. He's scared. Yet they couldn't be any closer unless, well, maybe if they had polished off that wine earlier…

"Just tell me," she begs.

Oh no. Not the lip. She's biting her lip. But not for the usual reason.

"Kate…I failed you and our vows." Castle spits out while bowing his head in defeat.

Silence.

"I got an email from a fan today," he begins.

Beckett doesn't move. She just keeps starring at him, desperate for reassurance and comfort.

"I know I promised to work on my writing… but you know how I get distracted, that inbox was practically begging for my attention! Well anyway…this uh… this fan said…"

Just then, Beckett's phone rings. It's Ryan.

"Oh hell no, not this time," Beckett mutes her phone and tosses it to the other side of the bed.

"Kate… my fan asked why we aren't in sync anymore."

More silence.

"I promised that after we got married we would never, EVER be boring. But I've failed. My stupid nose scratching 'I love you' signal must have gotten revealed."

Beckett smiles faintly and extends her right hand to him. He reciprocates with his left

They are shaking hands.

"You know Castle, out of all the 'I love you' signals you've ever come up with, this was always my favorite."

"And I always want you to know how much I love you. But if you need a break after what I've just told you…"

Beckett shakes her head and pulls him in for a kiss, effectively stopping him mid-sentence.

"We've been partners for eight years and you've never failed me. Not once. And I know you never will."

Castle grips her hand just a bit tighter while she speaks. Her words mean everything to him.

I know things have been a little hectic since I became Captain and now dealing with LockSat but we're going to be fine."

"What about today with Espo and Ryan? Even they noticed!"

"Well, most kids can easily tell when their parents are acting strangely."

Castle chuckles. Beckett suddenly has an idea.

"The weekend is coming up. Let's go somewhere. Not the Hamptons. We should go somewhere new and different, just to relax and…

"Re-sync" they say in unison.

"What about Vikram? He won't let you leave for that long."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it."

"Then, it's a date."

Beckett lets go of Castle's hand so she can lie back down on his shoulder. Once she's settled, he reaches for her hand again. They fall asleep holding hands.

She is his always. He is her always. Caskett is unbreakable.


End file.
